Accessibility links
Science The latest health and science news. Updates on medicine, healthy living, nutrition, drugs, diet, and advances in science and technology. Subscribe to the Health & Science podcast.

Science

Sunday

Researchers Gather Health Data For 'All Of Us'

Mine Cicek, an assistant professor at the Mayo Clinic, processes samples for the All of Us program. Richard Harris/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Richard Harris/NPR

Shots - Health News

Researchers Gather Health Data For 'All Of Us'

Federal researchers are collecting blood samples from 1 million Americans as part of an effort called "precision medicine." But some critics worry that the path ahead is expensive and unclear.

Researchers Gather Health Data For 'All Of Us'

Listen · 7:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/572674823/574850986" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Friday

No 'Easy Answer' To Growing Number Of Stray Dogs In The U.S., Advocate Says

Dogs rescued from floodwater wait to be transferred to a shelter after torrential rains pounded Southeast Texas following Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey on Sept. 3, 2017 in Orange, Texas. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Here & Now Compass

No 'Easy Answer' To Growing Number Of Stray Dogs In The U.S., Advocate Says

Author Peter Zheutlin says the number of stray dogs in the U.S. has "cascaded out of control." He makes the case for why people should adopt abandoned dogs.

Precision Medical Treatments Have A Quality Control Problem

Careful custody of blood tests and tissue samples is essential to the success of precision medicine. David Silverman/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
David Silverman/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Precision Medical Treatments Have A Quality Control Problem

The goal is to customize treatments for cancer and other diseases to a patient's own biology. But something as simple as failing to take care of tissue samples en route to the lab can derail that.

Precision Medical Treatments Have A Quality Control Problem

Listen · 5:00
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/572853436/574693669" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System

This 1793 grave is an early version of the kilogram. It is possible this object, now owned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology museum, was once pirate treasure. NIST Museum hide caption

toggle caption
NIST Museum

The Two-Way

How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System

In 1793, French scientist Joseph Dombey boarded a ship bound for the United States carrying with him a standard kilogram weight. Thanks to pirates, he and the weight never arrived.

How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System

Listen · 2:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/574044232/574314942" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Size (And Sound) Matters When It Comes To Bubbles In Your Sparkling Wine

The smaller the bubble in that glass of champagne, the higher the pitch — and the price. Viktoria Rodriguez/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

toggle caption
Viktoria Rodriguez/Getty Images/EyeEm

The Salt

Size (And Sound) Matters When It Comes To Bubbles In Your Sparkling Wine

Scientists at the University of Texas listened to the bubbles in a champagne and a sparkling wine and found that the more expensive product had smaller, busier bubbles.

The sound of bubbles in a glass of Moët & Chandon champagne.

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/573855931/573894314" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

Home For The Holidays? Get Off The Couch!

Young bodies may more easily rebound from long bouts of sitting, with just an hour at the gym. But research suggests physical recovery from binge TV-watching gets harder in our 50s and as we get older. Lily Padula for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Lily Padula for NPR

Shots - Health News

Home For The Holidays? Get Off The Couch!

If you sit too much during middle age — at work and at home — your ability to exercise or even walk in late decades is at risk, research hints. And, of course, your risk of heart disease climbs, too.

Home For The Holidays? Get Off The Couch!

Listen · 3:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/570905407/570926358" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
The Haunting Effects Of Going Days Without Sleep
Mark Conlan/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Hidden Brain

The Haunting Effects Of Going Days Without Sleep

Decades ago, Randy Gardner stayed awake for 11 days. He broke a record in the process, but the teenage stunt has come back to haunt him. At 71, he offers wisdom about staying up past your bedtime.

The Haunting Effects Of Going Days Without Sleep

Listen · 7:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/573739653/573739654" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
After Maria, One Of The World's Best Bioluminescent Bays Slowly Begins To Glow Again

Two people swim at a beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico. One of the bays on the island is famous for its bioluminescent plankton, which are slowly recovering after Hurricane Maria. Ricardo Arduengo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Ricardo Arduengo for NPR

The Two-Way

After Maria, One Of The World's Best Bioluminescent Bays Slowly Begins To Glow Again

Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Vieques, an island 8 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. Its bioluminescent bay, a lifeline for its vital tourism industry, is starting to show signs of recovery.

After Maria, One Of The World's Best Bioluminescent Bays Slowly Begins To Glow Again

Listen · 3:06
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/573000699/573739736" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Environment

After Harvey, Texans Are Preparing For Future With Raised Homes, Private Flood Gates

Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, is planning to remake itself into a more flood-proof metropolis after Hurricane Harvey hit the region hard. But Texas still doesn't have the money it wants to do that, let alone detailed plans on how to spend it. Some Texans simply aren't waiting; they're forging ahead on their own.

After Harvey, Texans Are Preparing For Future With Raised Homes, Private Flood Gates

Listen · 4:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/573628710/573628711" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
As Corals Wither Around The World, Scientists Try IVF

Corals around the world have been dying because of warming waters and pollution. Some researchers hope they can reverse the trend by growing new corals in the lab. Albert Kok/Wikimedia Commons hide caption

toggle caption
Albert Kok/Wikimedia Commons

As Corals Wither Around The World, Scientists Try IVF

Battered by climate change and pollution, coral reefs are dying off. But in Guam, one group of scientists is trying to revive these tiny animals — with the coral equivalent of IVF.

As Corals Wither Around The World, Scientists Try IVF

Listen · 5:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/556121513/573628906" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript